part about the whole sordid affair. trying to understand marjorie, rostein, barnes and the rest. fractured intellectuals. broken souls who lost their humanity on a descent into evil. bombs. >> they said this is c-4 explosive. we're gonna strap it to you. >> terror. >> a guy is driving to the bank right now and he has a bomb strapped to his chest. >> robbery. >> they said to me, "we want $4.2 million in cash." >> families taken hostage. told to commit a crime or else. >> they're going to keep the son and wife while he goes in and robs the bank. >> striking again. >> she looks up, and here's a guy with an assault rifle. >> and again. >> for every minute that he was late his wife, was going to lose a finger.

>> a high-stakes stalemate. >> the bank employee refuses to open the vault. >> a high-speed car chase. >> he's just hit a third vehicle. >> how did the gunmen know everything about their victims? their secret weapon could turn everyone into a potential target. >> they would find people on social media. be careful what you put out for the world to see. it's a mouse-click away. >> it's a beautiful day in the western mountains of north carolina. a beautiful stretch of interstate.

north carolina state highway patrol is running radar and you see a ford edge blow right by. it started off as a routine traffic stop but it was anything but routine. but it was anything but routine. all of a sudden you see the suv pull over. you see the passenger's side door open briefly and, then, shut and, then, take off again. you hear the sirens. you hear the unmistakable roar of the engine. you see the vehicle swerve into the big truck, takes off its driver's side mirror, goes flying off. and you see his ominous brake lights go on. and, then, you see him ram the side. >> he's hitting vehicles. he's just hit a third vehicle. stop. >> our story begins in 2015 with 46-year-old matt yussman, a chief financial officer with a credit union in central connecticut.

>> i've been playing hockey for 30-something years. play every week, sometimes twice a week, all summer long, all winter long. >> money management pays his bills but hockey fuels his passion. he's the goalie for a team called the "trash pandas." >> so your league plays on sunday night. how'd you do that night? >> we won our game. which was a good thing but it was a late night game. >> matt's glow from a nice victory that february night ended after he headed home. he pulled up to the garage of his bristol, connecticut, house around midnight. he didn't know two men were watching. >> i would just open the garage door, get out, take all my equipment out because i'm a goalie. have a large bag. >> matt's 70-year-old mother, valley, a retired nurse was inside the home they shared watching the academy awards. matt moved his mom into the house after his dad, her husband of 40 years passed away. >> it was the night of the oscars. and they didn't finish till it was just about midnight or a few minutes after. and it was right after that when

i heard the garage door open. >> as i'm walking back to the car to pull it in, i see somebody coming running down my driveway yelling, get on the ground!" and i see he's pointing a gun at me. tells me to kneel on the garage floor as i'm kneeling there, he walks up behind me and sticks the gun right behind the back of my ear, presses it against my head, and says, "lie face-first on the ground." >> you heard him. he'd arrived home. >> yes. yes. and i was waiting for him to come into the house. and he wasn't comin' in. >> as i'm being zip-tied, i look up and i see another guy running down the driveway. >> matt says the gunmen were covered head to toe in multilayers of heavy clothing and ski masks. their faces hidden by dark goggles. based on matt's recollection, we created these images of those men. >> could you have made out their faces? >> no. there was -- they had no distinguishing things that i could see. >> did you know what race they were? >> everything was covered. >> the only features

he could make out, one was a tall slender guy, the other heavy-set. >> i got up to go out to the garage. and when i went out there, i saw matt laying face down in the garage. and there were two masked gunmen over him, holding guns on him. one of the gunmen swung around with his gun and pointed it at me and said, "come down into the garage here." he said, "kneel beside your son." >> so this is all going bad very quickly. >> yeah, this is going bad very quickly. >> and i went down and i knelt beside my son. and i said, "please don't hurt us. please don't hurt us." i said, "we will do whatever you want." >> mother and son quickly realized they were the victims of a home invasion. neighbors couldn't see what was happening because their ranch home is set far back from the road on an isolated cul-de-sac. >> i guess you're thinking this is gonna play out, hopefully, in the garage. >> that was -- >> and we'll get past this thing. >> that -- that was my whole thing was, "you know what? take what you need. leave me. go." and i thought this was going to be the end of it. >> but it moves into the house. >> but it moves into the house. >> reporter: inside, matt was led to a couch.

>> they immediately put a small knit hat over my head and duct taped the hat to my head so i couldn't see anything. >> reporter: why didn't they just grab some valuables and leave? he could never have guessed what their villainous plan for him really was. coming up -- this was much more than just a home invasion. the gunmen say they have a problem. and matt yussman is the solution. >> we owe some very bad people a lot of money and you're going to get it for us. >> how much money? >> $4.2 million in cash. >> and that was nothing compared to what matt heard next. >> they said, "this is c-4 explosive. we're gonna make an explosive device and we're gonna strap it to you." >> matt's mom, she was in danger, too. >> we're going to put a bomb under her bed and if you deviate from the plan, we're going to detonate both of your bombs. >> when "dateline" continues.

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two armed masked men were holding matt yussman and his mother hostage in their connecticut home. matt's mom was brought into her bedroom where they turned up the volume on her tv. she says she was instructed to lie down on the bed and stay there. she then was left alone. but she could hear something alarming going on in the other room. that's where matt was seated on a couch. his hands zip-tied. his eyes covered with a blindfold. >> i tried to listen to what they were saying to matthew. they were putting on some headphones on him. i heard them say that. >> and they'd put earphones on. and i'm just getting static and static. and i don't know what's going on. and all of a sudden i get a voice that sounds very synthesized, electronic. and the very first thing they said to me was, "this is not a robbery. this is not a typical home invasion."

>> by using a device like this kidnappers could disguise their voices. this is not -- >> yeah, that -- >> that gave me the creeps there because that sounds similar to what they did. >> then they outlined their complex big plan explaining why mom and son were being held captive. >> we're looking for a large sum of money. we owe some very bad people a lot of money. and you're gonna get it for us. >> how much money? >> it was very specific. they said to me, "we want $4.2 million in cash." >> and there was something else that was unusually specific. the kidnappers knew intimate details about matt's life. >> they knew where i work, what i did, that i had my mother in the house. >> reporter: matt, the c-f-o of achieve financial credit union was told the next morning. he would go to one of his branches and take $4.2 million dollars out of the vault. matt told them a credit union would never have that much money on hand.

still, he could get them something. >> this is where i lie for the first time. and i'm like, "i can get you guys a million dollars." and they said, "oooh, a million dollars." >> hours passed. matt says he sat on that couch tied up and blindfolded wondering what was going to happen next. >> it had to be around 3:00 in the morning, i think. they get me up. and they say, "you know what? we're goin' for a ride." that was the second time i got really scared. because now i'm, like, "they're taking me away from the house." >> reporter: that's a line outta the bad movies, "we're--" >> yeah. >> they told her she was going to stay behind. >> and they s -- wrapped my feet with duct tape to the bottom of my bed. and they said, "just a precaution." so that i wouldn't go any place while they went away. and i said, "i will stay wherever you put me." i didn't dare try to get out of the bindings. >> matt says he found himself in the back seat of one of the two vehicles he owns.

>> they had actually put a pillow in the backseat of the car, don't know why. but they told me to stick my face into the pillow and not to move. we then proceed out my driveway. we drove for maybe 15 minutes. we parked. and i heard gravely or just cracking snow like we'd gone off side of the road. and i was, like, "wow, what's gonna happen here? are they taking me out in the woods? are they going to shoot -- put a bullet in my head? >> one of them got out of the suv. matt says he heard another car start up. suddenly there was movement in his vehicle. and they were back on the road. he was relieved to eventually find himself back home. then according to matt, the kidnappers asked him an odd question. >> set me on the couch and asked me if i wanted to take a shower. >> reporter: shower? >> a shower.

>> after all this? >> and after all that, i said, "sure, i'll take a shower." >> a shower? after terrorizing him for three hours, how strange. what was going on? and then matt's story took another bizarre turn. he says he was led into the kitchen where something was waiting for him on a table. >> they said, "do you know what this is?" and i said, "no." and they said, "this is c-4 explosive. we're gonna make an explosive device. and we're gonna strap it to you. because we don't trust you, that you're gonna do what you're told." >> c-4, a plastic explosive used by the military and terrorists. it can be molded like clay into any shape and detonated remotely. hearing what was happening in the other room, matt's mom began to cry. >> and then i could hear them unwrapping duct tape, lots and lots. i could hear that unwrapping. and that must've been when they were strapping it around him. and i began to cry harder and really panic because as you're

laying there and i'm thinkin', they're putting a bomb on him. >> matt was left alone. a bomb tightly wrapped around his waist. his anxiety was building as each minute seemed the last before eternity. it was just before daylight. matt's mom says one of the men came back into her room and said something unexpected. >> one fella came in and said to me, "i don't want you to get alarmed. but we're gonna be usin' the vacuum." and i thought, "what, vacuum?" >> your vacuum cleaner. >> they come in and they -- i could hear them vacuuming out in my living room. and then they came in the bedroom and were vacuuming all around the bed and things. >> six hours into their ordeal, the sun was soon to rise. the two assailants told matt his workday was beginning. and he'd soon be leaving to rob his own credit union. and to ensure his cooperation they advised him they were

leaving an sflurinsurance polic his mom's bedroom. >> they said, "we're not taking any chances. we're gonna put a bomb under her bed. and if you deviate from the plan, we're gonna detonate both of your bombs. >> matt says that plan included the threat to detonate his or his mom's bomb by cell phone at any time they wanted. at 10:00 a.m., they would text him the location of where to drop off the money. and to make sure he stayed on time, they also attached a timer to his bomb that would automatically explode at 11:00 a.m. that was less than three hours away. >> and then at some point, they came over to me and said, "it's time." they bring me to my car. at this point, they take the blindfold off me. they cut the zip-ties off me. >> so rob the bank. >> rob the bank. we'll meet you at the drop off place. coming up -- >> i did exactly what they told me. i call my boss. i said, "this is my life. don't play with it." "don't call the police."

>> but his boss does. as i turn the corner around to the front of the branch, i see all the police cars. that's when pure panic sets in. >> a diabolical plan goes off the rails and the surprises are just getting started. when "dateline" continues. ng feg you're getting the best price. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. $12.99 all you can eat ♪ now with boneless wings.

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it was 8:30 a.m. 8 1/2 hours since the start of connecticut executive matt yussman's nightmare. he was on his way to one of the branch offices of his credit union. claiming kidnappers had strapped a plastic explosive to his belly, and rigged another device beneath his mother's bed back home where she lay bound. >> i'm driving to the credit union. and now, for the first time, i start to think of, "wow. how's this gonna play out? what's gonna happen?" >> wait a second. you meant to drive yourself? is that what you're saying? >> yes. they actually wanted me to drive my own car. >> how are they going to control you? >> and that's -- i figure they were just gonna follow me around and watch me the whole time. >> two bombs, he said, that could be detonated by the touch of a cellphone, and oh, by the way, a timer on his device that would go off at the stroke of 11:00 a.m. >> i call my boss. and i said, "my mother and i have -- are victims of a home invasion. i'm currently sitting in my car right now strapped to an explosive device. and i'm coming to the credit

union to empty the vault. you need to evacuate the branch." >> are you using any co-words or any -- >> no. this is real. i said, "this is my life. don't play with it." >> adon't notify the police. >> and i said, "don't call the police." >> matt's boss ignored his plea of no cops. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> i just received a call a few minutes ago from one of our vps. and he's instructing me to vacate our new britain branch because they're going to come and rob it. >> that 911 call eventually ended up here, police headquarters in new britain, connecticut, where the credit union was located. >> i was a brand new sergeant. we had just gotten done with roll call in the morning. the phone rang at the main desk at the police department. there's a bank robbery going on and a guy is driving to the bank right now and he has a bomb strapped to his chest. >> this is not your usual monday morning, sergeant. >> you know, we're trying to figure out if it was a joke or

not. >> it was no joke. sergeant david mocarsky was one of the first out the door. what do you know at that point, sergeant? >> so, the only thing that we knew is they gave us a plate on the car. it was a red car. >> the sergeant had matt's license plate number and the model of the red car he was driving. >> i get to the credit union. and i don't see anything. there's no cars, no -- and i'm, like, "fantastic." as i turn the corner around to the front of the branch, that's when pure panic sets in. now i see all the police cars. >> the kidnappers told matt not to call the police. and now there they were. curtains. he now had 2 hours and 15 minutes until that bomb would explode. matt eased into a parking spot. >> i roll down my window. and they're all screaming, "get outta the car! get outta the car!" >> he gets out of the car. we get out of our cars. and there was like, a good

15 seconds of silence. him looking at us, us looking at him. and trying to figure out what was going on. >> mocarsky's partner drew his gun aiming straight at matt. >> and i said, "i'm wearing an explosive device." and they're, like, "show us." so, i lift up my shirt, show them what i was wearing. >> we're like, holy cow, i can't believe this is real. >> you were persuaded something was there. huh? >> oh, 100%. >> because it was a frigid 9 degrees out that february morning, the sergeant told matt to get back in his car. then he and his partner protectively stayed about 100 feet away. jim wardwell was, at that time, new britain's chief of police. overseeing a force of 165 officers for the 73,000 people who live in this central connecticut city. word of this extraordinary crime immediately ran up the ranks. and the chief, along with his top command staff, rushed to the credit union. >> what do you do to secure the area? >> oh, immediate response.

pretty much all available personnel were sent to the area. we cleared buildings in the area. we put schools in lockdown. >> they closed off the surrounding streets and shut down a nearby major thoroughfare. s.w.a.t. teams and heavy equipment rolled in. and the state's bomb squad was called to get the device off of matt. >> shutting down an interstate is not a small decision. calling in other agencies to assist is not a small decision. and all those decisions had to be made. and they were made very, very quickly. >> back at the credit union parking lot, sgt. mocarsky, a member of the crisis negotiation team, became the point man to communicate with matt. the sergeant yelled his cell number to yussman and they started to talk over the phone. so what's the demeanor of this man who says he got a bomb on him? >> even keeled. you know, he was very calm for the situation. >> at least for now, members of the state police bomb squad meanwhile were scrambling,

traveling in from different parts of the state. but precious time was melting away. then at 10:00 a.m., the kidnappers started texting. they wanted their money. one hour to go until the bomb was supposed to explode. coming up -- >> i say to the police, i'm, like, "what do you want me to tell them?" >> matt needed answers. and he didn't have much time to get them. >> your mind starts to think about weird things like, "am i gonna know it when it goes off? what are you gonna feel?" >> when "dateline" continues. miralax works with the water in your body to unblock your system naturally. and it doesn't cause bloating, cramping, gas, or sudden urgency. miralax. look for the pink cap. doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

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hi, i'm richard lui. the death toll from the australian wildfires stands at 17 according to the associated press. australia to deploying military aircraft and ships helping to carry out evacuations. tens of thousands have been forced to leave their homes. david stern passed away this afternoon three weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage. stern ran the league for 30 years before retiring in 2014.

david stern dead at the age of 77. for now, back to "dateline." it was now close to 10:00 a.m., almost 90 minutes since matt first drove into the parking lot of the credit union. >> you're just sitting in the car, you're strapped to an explosive device. >> an explosive device due to go off in about an hour. >> and i'm, like, "are my employees watching this?" i'm, like, "i don't want anyone to see me blow up." i'm, like, "this is not what i wanted to be doing." so, that next hour was just awful. >> the pressure was becoming unbearable. >> now i'm starting to cry. >> and you're waiting for the bomb squad. >> and i'm waiting for the bomb squad. >> as the state police bomb squad headed to the scene from different parts of connecticut sargent david mocarsky was talking to matt by cell phone from his car.

>> my big thing was to just keep him calm, keep him talking. assuring him that we had help on the way. and -- you know, we were gonna get through it. >> he is my one and only contact and my only person that i'm talking to. he tried to keep me from losing it. >> terrified as he was, matt was still able to tell the police about his mom's dire situation. nine miles from the credit union parking lot, the yussman house in bristol, connecticut, was eerily quiet. matt's mom was convinced the kidnappers were gone. but to where she didn't know. but she decided to work herself free from her bed. >> it took me a while to get out -- because they had wrapped that duct tape around and around. >> she had no idea that the authorities were descending on her home in force. >> as i got myself out of the restraints i could see right out into our driveway. and when i looked out there, it was full of police.

when i opened the door to holler out one of the policeman with a big rifle pointed right at me, and he said, "walk up to the driveway." >> matt's mom was unharmed, at least physically. emotionally, she was alarmed as she talked to the police. >> and they said, "lift up your shirt." and i thought, "what are they doing?" apparently they thought maybe i had a bomb on myself. so i lifted up my shirt. and they checked me out and, okay, they put me in a police car. >> back in the credit union parking lot, matt was told his mom was okay. he was not. precious minutes were ticking by. meanwhile, you've been told there's a timer. >> right. >> on this belt. which is going to go kaboom at 11:00. >> kaboom at 11:00. and the original plan was that i would be done at 10:00. >> the kidnappers told matt they would text him at 10:00 a.m. with an address where he was to drop off the million dollars taken from his credit union.

the text, they said, would be sent from his mother's cell phone, which they'd taken from her. >> i mean, right at 10:00, i get the first text, "are you done yet?" >> from the home invaders. >> from the criminals there. and i say to the police, i'm, like, "what do you want me to tell 'em?" >> i talked to matt and we go, "listen, we're gonna -- we're gonna roll with it. we're gonna tell them that you're still working hard to get the money that they need. what we need to do is just buy a little bit of time." >> matt texted, it is more money than i anticipated, moving as fast as i can. the kidnappers texted back, "that is good." >> in fact, he hasn't made it into the bank at all. >> oh, he never made it into the bank. >> he doesn't have any money. >> no. zero. >> and this is all, keep 'em talking, keep 'em on the line. >> yes. >> at 10:24 a.m., 36 minutes before the device on matt was due to explode, the kidnappers texted again with an address where the money was to be dropped. a nearby cemetery. matt should leave the money at the flagpole. at the same time, cops were able

to trace where the texts were coming from, near that cemetery. they raced over, but found no one. >> whoever was in that specific area was no longer in the area. we probably missed them by minutes. >> and that only upped the ante for matt. tick tock. >> now it's 10:35. and i'm, like, "oh, crap." i'm, like, "i don't see the bomb squad." and i'm, like, "where's the bomb squad?" >> it was 25 minutes before the device would detonate and thoughts, terrible ones, raced through matt's mind. he recalled the shocking story of the pizza delivery guy in erie, pennsylvania, who said he was kidnapped and had a bomb locked around his neck. >> i knew that he was forced to try to rob a bank, that it didn't go well, that he was actually killed during all this. matt thought about the end of his life. >> now your mind starts to play the tricks and you start to think about weird things like, "am i gonna know it when it goes off? do you hear the noise first? do you see a flash first? what are you gonna feel? >> for matt, the excruciating

wait continued as the clock counted down to 11:00 a.m. >> i'm just sitting there. there are no more texts from the criminals. they've stopped. they expect me to be at that drop-off point. we're getting closer. it's 10:45. it's 10:50. i am now in full panic mode. coming up -- tick tock. >> 10:58. 10:59. it's just like the movies. the guy's wearing the big suit and he walks up to me and they're examining it. >> and it didn't look good. >> we saw multiple wires running through the tape and around that organic material. >> when "dateline" continues. nus when you shop with wayfair,

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every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. to do the extraordinary. take your business beyond. as federal, state, and local officers secured the area with armor, matt yussman was in a panic. the improvised device duct-taped to his waist was set to go off at 11:00 am, just minutes away. >> i start asking, like, "where's the bomb squad? it's getting closer to 11:00. this thing is supposed to go off." >> the bomb squad was now on the scene. >> that was the first and only time i responded to an incident with an individual that had a device actually attached to their body. >> connecticut state police trooper mike avery now retired was on the bomb squad.

avery's team assembled a bomb robot thinking they could use it to inspect the device and maybe defuse it from a safe distance. the bomb squad didn't know what it had walked into. >> we didn't know if this individual was a suspect or a victim. >> unbeknownst to matt, four police sniper teams were getting into position around his car targeting him. >> he has an explosive device on him and if he doesn't follow our instructions, and in the event if he rushed outta that perimeter toward us or toward other law enforcement personnel, deadly force would have to be utilized. >> getting the sniper teams in place deploying the robot and figuring out a safe approach all ate up more of the clock. it was just 2 minutes to 11:00. >> i sat there and watched that clock. 'cause i had my cell phone there, and it went, you know, 10:58, 10:59. and i'm thinking this is it. >> tick tock. >> absolutely. he's looking at his watch. you know, i'm looking at my phone

and it's clickin' closer to 11:00. >> to be honest, i didn't pray. i didn't know what to do. i just sat there and counted it down and waited. and when that phone hit 11:00, my heart stopped and i just sat there. >> there was no explosion. >> and i looked around and nothing happened. >> after 11:00 passed, there was definitely a sigh of relief by everybody there. you know, the last thing we wanted for anything to happen to matt. >> and i'm, like, "why -- why am i not dead?" finally, it was about 11:05 or so, 11:06, somewhere in there, where i said, "well, maybe they lied to me. maybe there is no timer." >> no one except the kidnappers knew what was wrapped around matt. after about ten minutes, the bomb squad ordered matt out of his car. >> we could see that there was something attached to his torso but we could not get a good visual on it. >> avery and his partner abandoned their bomb-robot plan, because they

could get a better sense of device with the naked eye, from the safety of an armored vehicle. they drew alongside matt. >> at that time he slowly lifted his shirt up and exposed the device to us. and it was completely wrapped around his body with, like, a heavy-duty gorilla tape and you could not see anything else other than the large mass in front of his torso. >> then avery made his move. volunteering to remove the device by himself. he suited up and approached matt. this photo was taken at that moment. it had been 11 hours since matt and his mother said they were first kidnapped. now here he was, on his knees without a coat. it was 9 degrees out. >> and it's just like the movies. the guy's wearin' the big suit. and he, you know, like, walks up to me and they're examining it. >> the cops decided to x-ray matt's torso right there in the lot. using a portable x-ray machine, it took just one minute to create an image. >> we saw multiple wires running

through the tape and around that organic material. at that point we couldn't determine, "is it actual c-4 or some type of explosive? or is it just a chunk of clay to simulate a hoax device?" >> they're looking at it and coming up with a plan of what they're gonna do. finally, the guy says, you know -- "we're gonna take this off ya." >> so i went down with a couple cutting tools, had him remain on his knees facing away from me, lifted his shirt up and slowly started cutting the tape up his back. >> as if matt hadn't already gone through enough this day, another sticky problem came up. >> he was extremely hairy, this was gorilla tape, and it was wrapped around his entire torso. so while removing it, we were causing quite a bit of pain because it was removing all the hair from his torso. >> we've finally get the bomb

off me. and it goes down to my feet. and he goes, "kick it away and then run with me and go behind the truck." well, i go to kick the bomb away and it gets stuck to my shoe and i start to run and i start dragging the bomb with me. and the bomb squad guy starts screaming at me, "you're dragging the bomb, you're dragging the bomb." and i'm, like, "oh my god! oh my god!" and -- >> and i'm sorry i'm laughing, but this is a funny thing. stuck on your shoe like a piece of toilet paper. >> yes, exactly. at the time, i wasn't laughing. but god, if -- looking back now, that was one of the more comical moments of the whole ordeal. >> avery says it didn't happen quite like that. he thinks matt's memory may be affected by his emotional trauma. >> we did not tell him to run and it was not stuck to him. >> but at last, matt's ordeal was over. or so he thought. >> as i get to the first s.w.a.t. guy, i tap him on the shoulder, "thank you." and they immediately grab both my hands and put me in handcuffs and throw my hands behind my back. and i'm, like, "i don't understand why they're -- what's going on here."

coming up -- >> they're, like, we're doing this for your own safety." and i'm, like, "my own safety? you're the ones with the guns." >> but police had their reasons to be suspicious. especially after what they heard about matt from his relatives. >> one of the first things they mentioned was that you're a big gambler. >> investigators turn up the heat. and matt starts to sweat. >> i know i'm in trouble. i know that i'm needing an attorney and this is not going to go well for me. >> when "dateline" continues. cs tom: my mom always told me actions speak louder than words. she was a school teacher. my dad joined the navy and helped prosecute the nazis in nuremberg. their values are why i walked away from my business, took the giving pledge to give my money to good causes,

and why i spent the last ten years fighting corporate insiders who put profits over people. i'm tom steyer, and i approve this message. because, right now, america needs more than words. we need action. ♪ ♪ everything your trip needs, for everyone you love. expedia.

for everyone you love. whatever happens out there you have the hilton app. will the hilton app help us pick the starters? great question, no. but it can help you pick your room from the floor plan. can the hilton app help us score? you know, it's not that kind of thing, but you can score free wi-fi. can it help us win? hey, hey! we're all winners with the hilton price match guarantee, alright? man, you guys are adorable! alright, let's go lose this soccer game, come on! book with the hilton app. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. matt yusman was finally free of the device that had been taped to him but was shocked to find himself now confined in ha handcuffs. the local station nbc connecticut caught the moment he was led into an ambulance. >> and i'm, like, "what are you doing?

i'm like, i'm the victim. i -- are you arresting me?" and they're, like, "no, we're doin' this for your own safety." and i'm, like, "my own safety? you're the ones with the guns." and they're, like "we're gonna take you to the hospital." >> at the hospital, investigators had matt checked out. they took these photos, matt's waist red and raw from where the bomb tech pulled off that duct tape. and they took pictures of the device itself. it turned out that after the massive bomb scare, the multi-agency security operation, and all the white-knuckled fear. the supposed bomb was a fake. nothing more than modeling clay with wires running through it that connected to nothing. there was no timer counting down to 11:00 a.m. >> and there wasn't any kind of explosive device beneath the bed of matt's mom, valerie. so matt and valerie would have some explaining to do. >> why don't you start at the top for us. >> okay. >> by now at bristol police station, detectives were questioning valerie and were learning some strange details about the kidnappers' mo. >> what'd they use to bind your hands? >> they didn't. they left my hands free. >> and your feet were just tied together and to the bed? >> yeah.

>> but your hands were free? >> but my hands were free, yeah. >> why would real kidnappers leave her hands free? and another weird detail, according to valerie, the kidnappers behaved like gentlemen. >> they were trying not to hurt me or do me or do anything that was bad. after he taped my feet to the bed he kind of hugged me and he said, "don't worry. we're not here to hurt you. he brought me in a can of soda. i had cookies on the counter and stuff. he brought 'em in so i wouldn't be hungry. i mean, you know, he was being very nice to me. >> reporter: investigators took valerie's clothes as evidence, as she offered more strange details: the criminals cleaned her home. >> he said, i'm gonna vacuum the floors." and i almost wanted to say to him, "oh, you do housekeeping, too, you know, as a side?" i -- i thought that was funny. >> reporter: she said they even called her "ma'am." >> val, what is goin' on? these guys that are calling you ma'am -- >> and i thought -- yes.

>> -- and givin' you cookies and juice and -- >> yeah, i thought it was not-- >> and now they're vacuuming your house -- >> yeah. i thought -- >> but they're still terrorizing you -- >> yeah. i thought this was bizarre. >> matthew, how you doin'? >> good. >> reporter: investigators would hear more bizarre details when they brought matt to new britain police headquarters. >> we have a ton of questions for you. >> reporter: what was up with that night-time shower he took while the kidnappers were in his home? >> did you find that odd? >> yes, i did actually. i don't know why they would -- >> it was their idea? >> yeah. >> reporter: as for that strange night-time drive the kidnappers took matt on, he didn't have a convincing explanation. >> do you know which way you went? >> they kept making turns. >> reporter: and why did kidnappers speak to matt using a digitally-altered voice? >> you know, like when they do it on tv and they change some guy's voice and somethin', like, very similar to that. >> definitely not a human voice. >> definitely not human. yep. >> reporter: former new britain police chief jim wardwell was getting reports on what was being said in those interview rooms. >> i can see how your guys are concerned about what it is you

have here. you know, it's-- he's talkin' about these kind of wacko, unorthodox kidnapper, home invaders, who do strange things. >> the investigators were not ruling out any possibility. mr. -- mr. yussman -- was telling -- a version of events that -- by a lot of accounts, would make people pause and say, "really?" >> reporter: so much of matt's story didn't add up. as he sat in the police interview room, the atmosphere turned chilly. the detective's questions suddenly had sharp edges. >> financially, there-- there's no issues? >> yeah, i'm -- >> as -- as far as it goes for you. >> well, yeah. >> reporter: what matt didn't know was, that morning, right after his credit union boss called the police. >> is strapped to a bomb. >> reporter: investigators started to dig into his life reached out to people he knew well. found out stuff. >> when we talked to your brother, your nephew, one of the first things they mentioned was

that you're a gambler. >> they said to you you owe money. that you gamble a ton. >> they figured he had to be somehow involved. >> there's too many things. you -- you have the ability and the access to do it. okay? so that's why i think maybe you're an unwilling participant in this thing. that somebody leveraged you or -- or forced you into this. >> reporter: and if the kidnappers did in fact disguise their faces and voices, that didn't help matt. >> there's only one reason they do that, and that's -- and that's that they know you. okay? >> reporter: had matt gotten himself tangled in a scheme to get rich that had spun out of control? >> this is your opportunity to put it all on the table. and if there's somethin' else -- if there's somethin' else goin' on, we can help you. if someone's trying --

>> i don't -- i have -- >> -- to lever you -- >> -- been. >> playing hardball with you. >> i can say unequivocably that i have nothing indirectly, directly to do with this. >> reporter: but as detectives pressed matt to fess up, his answers didn't satisfy them. >> i'm just gonna put the cards on the table, 'cause i don't -- >> uh-huh. >> -- have any time to play games really with you. it's -- it's the implication that you're somehow involved in this. not as a victim. okay? by that we mean that it's some sort of inside job. >> reporter: investigators seemed so convinced matt wasn't being straight with them, they wondered if his mom was somehow part of the scheme. >> have you lied to us at all while you've been in here -- >> no, no. >> you haven't told us any -- untruths -- >> not that i know of -- >> --in order to protect matthew or anyone else -- >> no, no. >> if there is -- somethin' else goin' on -- >> i am not -- >> -- i mean -- if there's somethin' else goin' on, now's the time to talk -- >> i understand. >> reporter: police were undeterred. they took matt's dna. >> open wide, it's gonna be a little uncomfortable. >> reporter: then they asked him to sit for a polygraph warning him. >> it's gonna be bad for you if you fail the polygraph.

>> i don't see any reason why i would fail a polygraph. >> reporter: oh, it would turn out be to be bad, very bad for matt. >> it's all under investigation. very fluid. >> new britp's then police chief held a news conference to calm his nervous community. the city was on edge after being partially shutdown when he showed up at his credit union strapped with an explosive. the bomb turned out to be a fake. >> certainly we're considering all possibilities. whether or not he was coerced doing something against his will or a suspect. >> you're not finding any corroborating evidence in this vehicle or at his home? >> there's no corroborating evidence other than his mom. >> no evidence to support matt's story. investigators searched his house and car with a fine-tooth comb looking for fingerprints or dna

from the kid nappers but found nothing. what's more, matt did take the polygraph test and failed part of it. results showed he wasn't telling the truth when asked if he had any involvement in the scheme. >> i know i'm in trouble. i know i'm needing an attorney and this is not going to go well for me. >> matt was right. in the following days authorities got search warrants for his home, collected computers and phones, subpoenaed his bank records and started digging into his finances. then matt was placed on paid leave by his job. >> i'm now being investigated by my own credit union to make sure they can clear me. >> what no one knew is this unbelievable tale unreeling in connecticut was only on chapter 1. while matt tried to save his reputation, investigators in another part of the country were about to uncover a whole series of similar crimes. crimes that would span three states involving high-speed

chases and even more victims. this is where the story takes a turn south to tennessee. it was april 28, 2016, two months after the connecticut home invasion. an assistant u.s. attorney happened to be in the middle of the great smoky mountains national park when he got an urgent message. >> hey please call the fbi when you get cell reception. i've got something about a kidnapping. >> he learned earlier that day a guy named mark zigler was on his way to work as the ceo in a suburb of knoxville. as he was pulling out of his garage he noticed a garbage can was knocked over. >> he puts the car in park, gets out of the car and goes to fix the garbage can at the time he's accosted by two masked men with guns drawn. >> as an assistant u.s. attorney he was assigned to help the have

i been investigate the swreglzi story from that first day. the description of the suspects was similar. >> the first guy with a gun had a big sunburst tattoo on his neck that was -- mask was pulled up so that that was exposed. >> distinctive. >> distinctive. and, then, another person came through who appeared to be a black male with a black bandana and sunglasses but a black bald head -- again, with guns drawn. >> reporter: the assailants forced ziegler back into his house. his wife and teenage son were inside. all three frightened family members were hand cuffed and placed in the living room. mark ziegler was then given a three-page note. it contained chilling details on what was about to happen. he was going to rob his own credit union. coming up -- >> he is to empty the vault of

$3.4 million. for every minute he was late his wife was going to lose a finger. >> and later a high stakes stalemate. the bank meier refuses to open the vault. and a high-speed car chase that could crack the case. >> i was like what's going to happen next? i am about to be caught out on the interstate, what are these guys doing. >> and the doors open and here come two guys. open and here come two guys. vere rheumatoid a. proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira. proof of less joint pain... ...and clearer skin in psa. humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions,

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returning to our story, an executive says he was kidnapped by gunman and ordered to rob his own credit union. the bomb was fake, was his story fake, too? but it was about to be deja vu all over again. more kid nappings. >> she said they're going to kill me, kill my child. >> more bank robberies.

>> he is to empty the vault of any and all gold bouillon. >> a dramatic roadside arrest and a mystery is solved. but first some dots would be connected. 800 miles in new britain connecticut, unsuspecting authorities near knoxville, tennessee, have no idea they were about to be a part of the same story. only that they were dealing an unfolding crime of their own. mark ziegler, the ceo of the y12 credit union, two armed assailants were holding mark's wife and son hostage outside their home in knoxville, tennessee, and had ordered rob to rob the credit union he ran. >> he is to empty the vault of $3.4 million as well as any and all gold bouillon. >> reporter: the ceo was given a

strict deadline. he had less than 45 minutes to get the cash and gold. if he failed, the consequences would be devastating. >> for every minute that mr. ziegler was late, his wife, was going to lose a finger. and when she ran out of fingers, their adult daughter, britney, who lived in texas at the time, they have people watching britney in texas. >> they had eyes on the daughter. >> they had eyes on the daughter. and they were going to -- chop her up and mail her to the family if mr. ziegler failed to comply. >> how do they have so much knowledge about this family? >> we don't know. >> but they're getting their facts right. >> they're getting their facts right. >> reporter: mick nocera was the lead investigator for the fbi. he said what happened next took an even more bizarre turn. >> the tall, slender guy, a white male -- went outside. a few minutes later, a white female comes in through the backdoor and -- >> a female? >> a female. >> so now you got three assailants?

>> three. the white female comes in, and -- says something about that, "he told me to come in and get milk for the baby." >> for the baby? >> for the -- >> so now you got four players here? one of them is an infant, apparently -- >> an infant that needs milk. >> so is this a gang? or what's goin' on, do you think? >> obviously we're dealing with a crew. >> reporter: ziegler arrived at his credit union, as captured on security cameras. he went to the vault and started loading cash into a black bag given to him by the kidnappers. and he slipped one of the employees this note. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> my ceo sent me a note that says 'home invasion, call the police.' he had bags and walked into the vault. >> reporter: ziegler filled the black bag with over $200,000 in cash. then he got in his car and headed towards the parking lot exit where an arriving police officer stopped him. the criminals were listening in to everything through a cell phone in ziegler's pocket. >> mark ziegler is telling them through the phone that, "the

police are here. they're approaching me. what do you want me to do?" and what he heard through the phone was two words, "abort. abort." and, then, the phone went dead. >> reporter: in the meantime, the kidnappers blindfolded ziegler's wife and son and loaded them into the family's suv. they drove to a parking lot and dumped the vehicle with ziegler's wife and son still inside. eventually the two freed themselves and found someone to call police. >> so in the end, the family got out alive. and the bank robbers got no money from it. >> no money. but they escaped. >> reporter: the zieglers provided a detailed description of the suspects, which authorities used to create this sketch of the black male and this one the female suspect who came in the house looking for milk. >> now, i'm sure the crime scene techs processed the house and the vehicles within -- within an inch? did they get lucky? did they find anything? >> we found nothing. it was clean. >> fingerprints, fibers. >> no fingerprints.

no dna. nothing was left behind. >> reporter: nothing to stop the next attack. and there would be a next one. coming up -- a young couple and their baby barricaded behind locked doors. >> the pry bar is now being used on the master bedroom door. >> and an intense standoff. >> the bank employee refuses to open the vault. >> she says, "they're gonna kill me, unless you do this thing for me." >> yes. they're gonna kill me. they're gonna kill my child. they're gonna kill my child. ♪ kraft. for the win win. the good news? our comfort lasts all day. the bad news? so does his energy. depend® fit-flex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. because, perfect or not, life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®.

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- the tech industry is supposed in invention and progress. but only 11% of its executives are women, and the quit rate is twice as high for them. here's a hack: make sure there's bandwidth for everyone. the more you know. >> reporter: connecticut, july 2015, for five months matt yussman remained under a heavy cloud of suspicion. by that time, he had read about the tennessee credit union ceo held hostage and told to rob his own vault. yussman told investigators in connecticut it must be the same guys who kidnapped him and his mother. yussman -- found this to be very odd, that another credit union

executive forced to try to rob his credit union. >> it's the same people. there's no way that this -- this -- a coincidence. they told me it was just coincidence, copycat doin' this. >> reporter: matt had been allowed to return to his job, but he was still under investigation. the fbi had taken over his case from the local police, and according to matt there were serious doubts about his innocence. >> i was told there wasn't a 95% chance i was guilty. there was a 100% chance i was guilty. and i said, "i'm in trouble." >> reporter: back in tennessee that same month, it would be another family's turn to be traumatized. a young couple were beginning their day. the harris', tanner, abigail and their 5-month-old son. >> he and abigail were just in this cute little love phase. they had the new baby, and they were very happy. >> reporter: jamie satterfield is a reporter with the knoxville news sentinel who covered this story. >> she remembers just having

this really goofy grin on her face. and -- and she leaves the baby with tanner. and she goes down the steps. she's gonna take a quick jog. and -- and frankly, she said, she might come back and get a little flirty with her husband. so that's why -- [ laughter ] she had the goofy grin on her face. so she gets down to the bottom of the steps, opens the door, and then -- boom. >> as soon as she opened the garage, she saw two masked men, ski masks, dark clothing with guns. she immediately slams the door shut. [ door slams ] >> reporter: using a crow bar, one of the assailants ripped open the door. >> he's now in the kitchen of the house. >> abigail, she ran upstairs. she's trying to warn her husband. >> they then, chase her up the stairs. she runs down the hallway to the master bedroom. she slams the master bedroom door shut. >> reporter: then her husband locked the door.

>> they, immediately, hear that doorframe starting to crack because the pry bar is now being used on the master bedroom door. >> reporter: where she's huddling with her husband and child? >> and child. >> reporter: how absolutely horrifying. >> there's only one place left to go. they go into the master bathroom. >> they get -- all the way back into the farthest point they could get away. and tanner's trying to hold the door, and abby's -- and the baby's cr -- cryin' at this point. it's just chaos. >> reporter: that's the last doorway. >> yeah. >> reporter: the two invaders forced themselves into the bathroom. then, one drew a gun, and delivered a refrain the other families had also heard. >> you're going to rob your bank today for us. >> reporter: tanner, as you may have guessed, worked at a local bank as a loan officer. he was handcuffed, and both he and his wife eventually were blindfolded. the attackers then loaded the entire family in the harris' car, including their 5-month-old son. ♪ >> reporter: the attackers knew where tanner worked and drove there with the family. >> they're going to keep -- the

son and the wife while he goes in and robs the bank. >> reporter: this is a child in arms. this is a baby? >> this is about a 5-month-old -- >> reporter: does this -- >> -- baby -- >> reporter: -- make this a special case? >> you're definitely rampin' up when you're startin' about -- talk about a -- defenseless infant. >> reporter: tanner went into the vault, as seen from this bank surveillance camera, and loaded a black bag with cash. he then went out to the bank's parking lot to the car where the kidnappers were holding his family. >> you see the car stop and the passenger side door open. you see tanner harris hand over a very large bag, but you can see a very brief struggle. >> reporter: tanner demanded that the kidnappers let his wife and child go, before he would turn over the cash. >> at which time the bag is yanked, the door is shut, car speeds out of the parking lot. and an image of a husband and father left in a parking lot by himself watching the car speed away. >> reporter: two armed desperados have taken his family. >> yes. >> reporter: the kidnappers eventually left abigail and her son in their own vehicle, while they took off in a get-away car. they had escaped once again.

but this time they had netted $195,000 for their efforts. so in this case, you believe you have two middle-aged white males -- >> correct. we don't -- >> reporter: -- as the bank robbers. it's not three. >> right. there's -- not three. >> reporter: there's not a woman. >> no woman, no black male -- no tattoo reported. >> reporter: so after you had two of these things, how was it playing as a story? how was knoxville hearing about it? >> i can't say that people were universally frightened. i think the greater harm initially was that people were suspicious of these families. that's what i heard. i have cop friends who were suspicious. we, as journalists, were kinda suspicious, like, "really? they kidnap you, but then they let 'ya go?" and, you know, it just sounded unbelievable. >> reporter: unbelievable maybe. but it would happen again. this time in northern tennessee. three months after the harris case, a young mother was starting her day and struggling to get her toddler son secured in her car. >> he wants candy for breakfast. and he is throwin' a fit. so she's quite distracted

anyway. when, all of a sudden, you know, she feels movement. >> reporter: brooke lyons didn't have time to think, in an instant she and her 3-year-old son were under attacked. she looks up, and here's a guy with assault rifle pointed at her. >> two male attackers forced brooke into the car with her son. that's right, they headed here, this credit union in elizabethton, where she worked as a $9 an hour teller. >> the people knew where brooke worked. they knew how to get to her bank without being told. >> reporter: jeff blanton is a special agent for the fbi he investigated brooke's case and says she was instructed to go inside and get $350,000, or else. >> she's been told, by these two guys, if the police are called, if she doesn't do what she's been instructed, that there's going to be a shootout, that she and her child'll be in the middle of it. >> reporter: a frantic brooke entered the credit union,

screamed that she needed the vault opened, and the bags loaded with money, because her 3-year-old son was being held hostage outside. that's when brooke's day got even worse. >> she finds her boss in the bank and says, "two men have carson with guns, i need to get into the vault." her boss refuses to open the vault. >> reporter: who of us can be judgmental in that kind of circumstance. but masked gunmen have her child outside the door. >> brooke lyons' response was singular. she pointed at her and said, "you just killed us." >> reporter: the credit union's security cameras caught the excruciating moments brooke was desperately running around looking for help. >> all she can think about is her son. she runs out of the bank, opens the passenger's side backdoor of her car, throws the bag in there, drapes herself over carson, begs them not to shoot her. and tells them to drive because the cops are being called as

they speak. >> reporter: surprisingly the criminals eventually let both of them go, leaving them in her car and while they took off in another vehicle. they didn't get any money. >> reporter: two bizarre robbery stories had the knoxville rumor mill buzzing about "inside jobs" but now there were three. people were wondering who would be next. fbi investigators were frustrated. they had no solid leads. by that time, they had already released sketches of the suspects from the attack on the zeigler family, hoping that might advance the case. no one would have guessed that the big break in the investigation would happen when this assistant restaurant manager took his fiance's little red car for a drive on the highway. coming up -- >> once he hit me, i knew -- i knew at this point, you know, this guy's runnin' a high-speed car chase. reveals a subtle clue. >> he's just hit a third vehicle.

>> and a sharp-eyed investigator takes notice. >> it struck me those people had discipline, they had purpose. >> reporter: when dateline continues. ad purpose >> reporter: when dateline continues. if you listen to the political debate in this country,

it sounds like we have a failed society. but nothing could be further from the truth. americans are compassionate and hardworking. we aren't failing. our politicians are failing. that's why i'm running for president. to end the corporate takeover of the government. and give more power to the american people. that's how we'll win healthcare, fair wages, and clean air and water as a right. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message.

the state department says the situation around the u.s. embassy in baghdad has improved following a second day of violent protests. u.s. forces used tear gas to drive off the pro-iranian demonstrators. security remains heightened at the compound. and tens of thousands continued the protests in hong kong. authorities say more than 400 people were arrested after the march descended in violence. for now back to dateline. it was surreal. it was like you're not going to believe what happened. >> reporter: this is adam russo. no, he isn't a bank executive or teller, not another victim of the violent bank robbing gang terrorizing east tennessee. back in september 2015 more than

a month before brooke lyons's ordeal, adam was an assistant restaurant manager on his way to a job interview, driving west on i-40 in north carolina in a car he borrowed from his fiance. what kinda car she have, by the way? >> it's a 2005 ford focus. so, when -- >> reporter: it's a little car, little car -- >> yeah, yeah, a little car. you know, it -- it gets ya -- it gets ya where you need to go. >> reporter: if you tried telling adam he was on his way to becoming perhaps the most crucial player in a case that had befuddled an army of investigators, he'd have thought you crazy. but that was exactly what was about to happen. >> i remember looking at my rear view mirror and i could see, you know, a couple a cop cars. their sirens and a black suv. i said, "that guy got -- you know, he's must have been going too quick, you know, and he's getting pulled over." >> i'm attempting to take over a vehicle on i-40 west bound. >> reporter: this is the dash cam video from one of the police cars, and you may recognize it. it's that same dramatic high speed chase footage we showed

you at the beginning of our story. >> attention, all units. 35-45. >> i looked back, and they were still following this guy, and that's when i kinda knew something was a little off. you know, it was, like, "why is this guy not pulling over." >> t-5, 3-5. >> reporter: instead, the driver pulled up to adam's little red car in the right hand lane. >> and all of a sudden this black suv is on my tail. you know, he's making these swerving gestures, you know, kinda like swipes, like, you know, in this type of motion. all i know is i remember putting two hands on the wheel. he hit me. >> vehicle is ramming cars. trying to run them off the roadway. just struck one red ford vehicle. >> reporter: adam, freeze-frame that moment, though. >> yeah. >> right. once he hit me, i knew -- i knew at this point, you know, this guy's running, you know,

obviously. i was like, you know, "you're not gonna just hit me and just keep going with two cops on ya unless something's going on." >> reporter: adam then watched in horror as the black suv hit another car with such force. >> he's just hit a third vehicle. it spun out of control and crashed into the barrier. >> i was, like, you know, "what's about to happen next," you know? am i about to be caught out in a shootout in the middle of the interstate? what are these guys doing? >> reporter: and then the doors open and here come two guys, huh? >> yeah. >> reporter: adam saw the driver and a passenger leap out of the car carrying black bags. >> two guys started sprinting. >> stop. >> across the concrete barrier like an olympic track runner, you know? and sprinting through the wooded area. >> attention all cars. jump and run. jump and run. i-40. >> reporter: north carolina troopers decided not to give the men chase, not until reinforcements could arrive. adam called his fiance. >> i was, like, "babe, you don't believe what just happened." she's, like, "no way. are you serious?" like, she couldn't believe it. you know, "sounds like a movie scene." >> reporter: and that should have been it.

a crazy tale maybe to tell the grand kids at thanksgiving's hence, but that's where this story took a left turn into the twilight zone. adam's fiance called her dad brian o'hare. >> so i received a call from my oldest daughter who told me, "basically, you're not gonna believe what happened with adam." and immediately i thought there was a problem in route to his job interview. my future son in law has messed up a job interview. >> reporter: let me put you on pause there and back you up and add an interesting biographical detail here. because you are not only adam's prospective father in law. what else are you? >> i'm a special agent in the f.b.i. >> reporter: and his years of fbi experience told agent o'hare that things he heard about that chase were rather strange. like the way the driver tried to ram adam's car from behind, o'hare recognized that as a police tactic called a pit maneuver. >> it's a police intervention technique. it is a trained technique. >> reporter: and what's the goal? that would end the hot pursuit and you'd get away? >> the goal is to get that

engine to shut down and then get a hold of the driver, and make your arrest. if you're a criminal and you spin vehicles around, you can wreak havoc on the pursuing law enforcement officials. >> reporter: and there was something unusual about the way those men fled. >> i had no clue as to why they felt it so important to grab those bags or why they would choose to cross an oncoming interstate to make that get away. it just didn't make any sense. >> reporter: it confounded the north carolina troopers too and despite searching the area, authorities never did find the two men. agent o'hare didn't think much more about it until a little more than a month later when he was assigned to help on a case up in elizabethon. as luck would have it the brooke lyons case. >> so you've had a bank robbery, a woman at gunpoint abducted, told to hold up her own bank. what little detail stuck in your mind? >> it was very well organized. >> reporter: and that jogged

o'hare's memory back to that high-speed car chase on i-40. it had he thought a similar sophistication. >> it struck me that those people had discipline. they had purpose. >> reporter: both cases also involved two suspects and black bags. >> i thought that it's not a guarantee that they're one and the same, but i wasn't aware of anyone else who would fit the bill. >> reporter: so you're not pulling this out of a computer. your gut is telling you something's going on here. >> it was some experience and some instinct that led me to believe that the two episodes could be connected. >> reporter: what started as a hunch was about to break this case wide open. coming up -- an abandoned gps with a roadmap of a crime spree. >> it looked that they were casing the bank. >> reporter: leading to another high-speed chase with a slightly different ending. >> get down. get on the ground. get down now. >> i don't know what's going on, i'm hitchhiking, i'm just trying to get a ride.

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>> reporter: a sophisticated bank robbing crew was on the loose in east tennessee. they'd already terrorized at least three unsuspecting families. >> we had no clue who was responsible for this. >> agent, how bad are these guys? >> i would consider these two individuals some of the most dangerous criminals to walk in east tennessee. >> reporter: tips were coming in. and investigators chased down every lead, but turned up nothing. by late october 2015 all the fbi was left with was that hunch agent o'hare had -- that a bizarre highway chase miles away in north carolina had something to do with the tennessee bank robberies. he shared his inkling with agent jeff blanton. >> i remember agent o'hare tellin' me, "hey, not for nothing, but this happened.

it might be something. it might not. so -- at this point, it was really the only last remaining stone that we needed to go turn to see if there was anything to it. >> reporter: so they took a close look at what happened in north carolina. agent blanton and agent nocera learned that whole crazy car chase stated with a routine traffic stop for speeding. and they wanted to take a look at the dash cam video of the suspects fleeing the crash. >> the descriptions were similar. you had two white males, one tall and athletic, and one a little bit thicker and stockier, and the black bags stuck out. because both the zieglers and the harrises had described these individuals, when they came into their house, that they had black bags. >> your first pass through this, agent, what'd you think? >> i knew we had bad guys. i thought we -- we may have something here, enough to continue investigation. at this point, i did not know if it was our bank robbers, or if it wasn't. >> reporter: turns out

investigators had gone through the suspects' black, banged-up suv and they found a gps device. >> so it could be a goldmine of information. >> it can be. >> tell me where you been. >> it can. >> reporter: an fbi special agent searched the device and found something intriguing. one of the locations marked on the gps, was a credit union near knoxville. >> it looked that this was set up, that they were casing the bank and looking for escape routes and the like away from that bank. i talked to jeff. and i said, "they may not be our bank robbers, but they're somebody's bank robbers." >> reporter: another gps route led to a luxury rental home in maggie valley, a beautiful north carolina tourist destination near the smoky mountains. investigators reached out to the property manager melissa pless. >> the f.b.i. basically stated that they just had some concerns and needed to know who was staying in the home. >> reporter: melissa told the agents that about five months earlier, she'd received an inquiry. two men, a writer named ron

bradford and his assistant, were looking for a place to stay while they worked on their book. melissa showed them around. they were in the market for something secluded with a garage. >> we traveled around the area, looked at a couple o' homes. and they chose one. >> reporter: the men were staying in a home aptly named "southern comfort." it was a month-to-month rental and they paid in cash. melissa said they were some of her best tenants. >> these guys treated me with utmost respect. they were very kind. on an occasion they actually brought me a potted plant. and a thank you card for, you know, being such hospitable rental company i guess. >> reporter: they hardly seemed like gun wielding kidnappers. agent blanton ran down the name of that author, ron bradford. >> did the name check out? >> no. no, the name did not check out. >> reporter: for blanton, the clincher came when he talked to

the property manager about the renters' car. >> i asked her if she had ever seen ron in a black lexus suv. because i know that one of -- one of the robberies in knoxville, there was a black suv that was burned -- after the robbery. she said, "yes, they had a black suv, a lexus, earlier in the summer --" but that she hadn't seen 'em in it in several months. >> did you think, "i gotcha. i'm on you now"? >> at this point, i was convinced, this was our bank robbery crew, yes. >> reporter: it was time for a good old-fashioned stake-out. agent blanton assembled a team to keep tabs on the two men. >> do you see 'em coming and going? >> we did. we saw 'em coming and going. we were not able to identify who they are. but we were able to see them. >> reporter: and investigators learned the men were not alone. >> the surveillance team was able to ascertain that there was a female at the cabin. >> did you know who she was? >> we did not know who she was. >> reporter: remember the ziegler home invasion. there was that woman who came in the house and asked for milk for her baby? could this be her? authorities waited patiently for

an opportunity to take the suspects down. two weeks after they started their surveillance, they finally got their chance. >> the day before thanksgiving, law enforcement sees them get into a silver nissan pathfinder with stolen maryland license plates. the decision was made to stop the vehicle. >> reporter: it was another high-speed chase. sirens blaring. the suv weaved around traffic then suddenly slowed down. >> we see the suv pull over. we see the passenger side door open. we see a person get out of the vehicle holding a black bag. and, then the suv takes off. >> get down. get on the ground. get down now. don't you move. put your hands up. do not move! >> reporter: one down. one to go. but the man on the ground, well, he wasn't behaving like a criminal caught in the act. he was behaving like a victim. >> he immediately says, "hey, i'm not involved. i don't know what's going on. i don't know who this guy is.

i'm hitchhiking. i was just trying to get a ride." >> reporter: did the cops get the wrong guy? they'd have to sort that out later. there was still a man on the loose barreling down the highway. coming up -- there's more than one way to catch a crook. >> the driver jumps out and takes off on foot. the red pickup truck pins him under the rear wheel of the pickup truck. >> runs him over? >> runs him over. >> you can't make this stuff up. >> you can't. >> and later a suspect gives up a chilling clue. >> his fist opened up and there's a crumpled piece of paper. >> when dateline continues. ed p paper. >> when dateline continues depend® fit-flex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. because, perfect or not, life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®.

>> reporter: north carolina state troopers were back on the tail of the suv after its passenger bolted to the side of the interstate. but as the suv fled, the driver made a serious error. he cut off a red pick up truck.

>> the red pickup truck didn't like that. >> reporter: road rage exploded. the driver of the red pickup took off in hot pursuit of the suv, leap-frogging the state troopers. >> the police are now following the red pickup truck who's following the silver pathfinder. >> reporter: so the lead -- lead position is mr. road rage. >> mr. road rage. >> reporter: why'd -- why'd you cut me off? >> right. >> reporter: with the trooper and the pickup driver still giving chase, the suv left the interstate, drove to a construction site and went right into a ditch. >> driver jumps out and takes off on foot. the red pickup truck pins him under the rear wheel of the pickup truck. >> reporter: runs him over? >> runs him over. >> reporter: you can't make this stuff up. >> you can't. >> reporter: that's the end of the chase. >> it's the end of the chase. the police pull up. they take the driver into custody. >> reporter: the driver of the suv was banged up with a broken collar bone, broken ribs and burns. both he and the passenger who rolled out of the suv were taken to a local jail.

but who were they? investigators learned the driver was brian witham a guy with a rapsheet dating back to his twenties with convictions for armed robbery. >> he gave you the impression that he was the guy who would sit there and talk to you. and given the chance, he would kill you and think nothing of it. >> reporter: agent nocera tried get answers from witham. but the suspect was mum. >> witham comes in and right away says he's not gonna rat. >> reporter: the passenger who claimed to be a hitch-hiker, said his name was michael benanti. he was initially charged with felony possession of a stolen car. here in an interview room, he ranted about his arrest. >> there should be no arrest here. i did nothing. i got thrown out of a car on the -- highway. you know what i mean? there's no -- there's no nothing. didn't do nothing. >> reporter: and bragged to the guard that he was a big-deal executive. >> i'm the ceo of a -- company. eight years i've been building it and this stupid, little arrest is going to destroy me. >> reporter: investigators

learned that benanti had, in fact, founded a company and was even profiled in the wall street journal in 2014. his company was called "prisoner assistant." and it managed finances for inmates in prison. turns out benanti had a lot of experience in that area. >> he has multiple felony convictions to include attempted murder of a police officer, robbery, theft of property and most importantly, a federal conviction of conspiracy to commit bank robbery. >> reporter: what'd you make of this business he had? >> benanti was actually stealing from that business, stealing from other inmates, part of the reason the banks were being robbed was so that he could repay some of the moneys he owed to inmates he was stealing from. >> reporter: of course, he wasn't some random hitchhiker who happened to get into witham's car as he originally told police. the two were in cahoots and had a long history together. they'd met in the late 90's in a prison in pennsylvania and devised a plan to escape.

but the attempt failed. then both of them were sent to the supermax prison in colorado. now again in custody, benanti paced about while he called his sister asking desperately that she bail him out. >> danielle, i am very very sorry to have to give you this call. but i love you. i'm in prison. >> reporter: then fbi agent blanton arrived to interview him. agent, fir -- first impressions of this guy, who'd you see? >> well, he was extremely arrogant. >> reporter: pompous as well, blanton said. >> he is the smartest person in the room no matter what room he's in. he was very proud that he was a graduate of supermax and that he had been in supermax prison. benanti was -- was proud of his credentials of being a criminal. >> reporter: by now they were sure they had the right guys, in part because of something that happened when benanti was arrested. >> benanti is white knuckling something in his hands, clenched fist. his fist is opened up. and there's a crumpled piece of paper.

>> reporter: the feds took a look at it. that crumpled paper had details, names and numbers that sent a chill down their spines. >> three names, handwritten, bank executives in greenville, in spartanburg, south carolina, their titles, their bank locations. >> reporter: prosecutor lewen believed these were the next victims. so with a search warrant in hand, fbi agents and lewen spent thanksgiving day and black friday of 2015 in the smoky mountains at a house called southern comfort. there they found evidence of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. and evidence that would finally reveal who that mystery woman was, the woman who wanted milk for her baby. so agents, who is this? coming up -- the answer and a warning. >> be careful what you put out for the world to see. the minute you hit post or hit send, you have no guarantee who's gonna be able to access

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>> reporter: it was thanksgiving day, 2015 in a house in the mountains of north carolina. but there was no family gathering inside, just fbi agents and a prosecutor. they were searching for evidence to tie michael benanti and brian witham to that string of kidnappings and bank robberies in eastern tennessee. >> when we originally walked in, the amount of evidence and items that were in the house -- was staggering. >> reporter: including weapons, electronic devices, cameras, fake law enforcement id's, fake tattoos, and massive amounts of photos. among them, this picture of benanti and witham, plus an inadvertent selfie benanti's face seen in a car's side mirror

taken as they cased a bank. when the agents told brian witham what they had, he went from mum to spilling everything he knew to the feds. >> he laid out the entire scheme. his role in the scheme. >> reporter: it was a chilling criminal enterprise that involved learning every detail about their intended victims lives. step by step they gathered intelligence. first they identified the bank. >> they would go to that bank, they would look on its social media page, and hopefully get names of -- names and pictures of the people they -- they thought would be worthy targets. >> reporter: then they stalked the bank employees on line. >> they could find 'em on linkedin. they could find 'em on facebook.

>> victims would rise and fall on their target list depending on the quantity and quality of social media evidence that they put out there for the world to see. >> reporter: for example, in the harris case they saw pictures of the couple's newborn baby on facebook. >> with the -- the harris, they were planning on doing that one earlier. but they noticed that missus harris had given birth and they pushed the date back. >> reporter: and facebook also revealed that the zieglers had an adult daughter who lived in texas. >> this also enabled 'em to say we've -- we've got people surveilling your child in texas. >> reporter: once their victims were picked out, the spying turned up close and personal. witham would surveil them at home, hiding in their yards, watching and documenting their every move. >> commando style. gopro cameras would be set up around the house. brian witham would camo up, have some food, and he would put himself up in a tree sometimes right next to the playsets of the families with the children in the backyard. and he would watch quietly making notes of when lights go

off, when they come on. when people go to the kitchen table, when they go out to get the paper. >> reporter: the duo would then take all the information they had gathered -- reams and reams of personal details, surveillance photos, maps, and compile them into a victim packet. agents found over a dozen of these packets, or dossiers, in a black briefcase in the house. >> we have numerous of packages that have names, address, children, grandchildren. >> reporter: without revealing it, i'm seeing spartanburg, which is south carolina? >> that's correct. >> reporter: georgia. clayton, georgia. >> georgia. >> reporter: future business? >> yes sir. >> reporter: future victims which included some of the names and addresses on that crumbled piece of paper benanti held clutched in his hand. >> and we found thousands upon thousands of photographs on sd cards of some of these houses, locations, people. >> reporter: the dossiers weren't just of future targets. the agents also found one on a target they already knew very well. brooke lyons. what's the quality of their -- >> this is -- >> reporter: -- surveillance work >> so, i'm our division s.w.a.t. team leader, and these

targeting packs that they have are of a quality that i could use for a hit. or execute a search warrant or anything else. >> reporter: in talking to witham, the agents learned why they never found any physical evidence. no dna, fingerprints or fibers. he and benanti made sure not to leave a trace behind. >> witham even shaved his body to try to -- try to eliminate as much dna as possible. >> reporter: while he was up in a tree all night doing surveillance, he brought a jug along with him. >> he relieves himself in the jugs so that he doesn't break surveillance so that he doesn't leave any dna behind. >> reporter: but now, even with the two men in custody, the feds still didn't know how many others were involved. who was the african american man and the woman the zieglers described? was there anyone else involved? >> three, four, five, six people? are we looking for two? what are the races? what are the genders that we're looking for? >> reporter: brian witham gave them the answer. they'd bought masks. so agents, who is this? >> that's the white female from

the zeigler robbery in april of 2015. >> reporter: the one who said, "the baby needs some milk"? >> yes. >> reporter: remember the fbi had released a sketch of her to the public. it was eerily close. so what's actually happened here? >> brian witham had a fake tattoo on his neck walked outside, put that mask on, and then came in and acted like a female coming in. looking for milk for the baby. >> reporter: as for the african-american man, he was a mask as well. benanti's dna was found on it. pretty good masks. >> yeah. >> ye -- yes. they spent roughly $1,500 a piece we later found out to purchase these masks. >> they were sewing in deception and red herrings and things designed to confused the victims. >> reporter: the gender switch, the racial switch. >> yeah, all of that. because the victims then are going to report all of that to the police. and the police will then be looking for a black man, a woman with long brown hair. >> reporter: and it worked. witham also told the agents that

he and benanti didn't just strike in tennessee. >> he lays out a crime spree up and down the eastern seaboard that began in the summer of 2014. >> reporter: he told them about a heist the two of them pulled off in 2014, in a small pennsylvania town. and sure enough there was a tall slender man and heavy-set guy. they held the tellers at gunpoint and made off with $156,000. >> and sure enough we go up and -- and we learn that that bank robbery was still unsolved. >> reporter: then witham told them about another job. it was in connecticut. and that's when the fbi finally connected the tennessee cases to matthew yussman. and the poor victim had been regarded as a suspect and he lived under the stigma of that until witham gave us this story, didn't he? >> right. >> yes. >> the investigators up there, they were looking at other leads and -- and running things down. they were striking out the same as -- as we were down here. >> reporter: of course, matt yussman didn't know any of

this yet. he was still very much under suspicion. in fact, he just appeared before a grand jury. >> it didn't go well. it was very obvious that they were going to recommend that -- oh, an indictment. >> reporter: that was november. then on december first, matt thought his worst fear had come true. his boss said the fbi was coming to his office. >> and i tell him that i'm not gonna allow them to arrest me right in front of all of my staff. >> reporter: the meeting was about an arrest all right, but it wasn't matt's. >> he said, "we've apprehended two individuals down in north carolina. we have overwhelming evidence that connects 'em to your case. you are now no longer a suspect you are now completely exonerated." >> reporter: matt and his mom had been telling the truth all along. >> the overwhelming emotion i actually broke down and cried in the office, because -- ev -- all the emotions just came out that i'd been bottling up for nine months because i was trying to show that i -- i was truly innocent. >> reporter: and as he learned

more about his kidnappers' m.o., some of the strange details about his story made sense. for instance, remember how his mom said the kidnappers used her vacuum to clean up? that's because they didn't want to leave any evidence behind. and matt learned his captors also found him on his credit union's website. then they saw his picture, and learned were he lived on facebook the criminals began their watch. s ess you were surveilled. >> yeah, i was surveilled. to this day, i still can't handle that i had people surveilling me and i didn't notice. if i had just paid more attention, would i have stopped this? >> reporter: in 2017 benanti was convicted on 23 counts, including armed bank extortion and kidnapping. he's now serving four consecutive life sentences plus 155 years, but he still maintains his innocence. brian witham, who struck a deal, was sentenced to 30 years. >> reporter: so what's the -- what's the lesson for people here? >> be careful what you put out for the world to see.

the minute you hit post or hit send, you have no guarantee who's gonna be able to access that at some point. >> reporter: that baby picture's out there? >> the baby picture's out there. you talking about where you run in your neighborhood and how long, it's all out there. >> reporter: and these guys exploited all of those things you just mentioned? >> they mined it all. >> reporter: as for matt yussman, he's still upset at how he was treated by the fbi and local authorities. former police chief jim wardwell. he'd like to have taken a swing at you guys. >> and -- and rightfully so. mr. yussman was through so much. it -- for any of us to have added to any of his anguish -- is regretful. he is a victim of a horrific crime, and -- and a good man, and a courageous man. >> reporter: and while the men behind this crime are will be in prison for years, and years into the future. all of their victims seem to be deeply traumatized. reporter jamie satyrfield. >> they will never be able, really, i think, to ever fully

rest easy in their own homes. and that's -- that's the price i think they paid was security. >> your life can never be the same. it -- it -- it never will be, no matter how much i put on that face and tell everybody that i'm fine. i'll never be the same after this. i just walked in and i noticed him lying at the base of the bed face down. then i saw zip ties tied around hir ankles and her feet. i still can't wrap my head around it. >> she was always helping others. now she needed help. >> where's the ambulance at? >> his beautiful wife dead in their bedroom. >> something very violent had occurred here. >> you could see the bullet holes in the wall. >>